First Look and Excerpts for Star Trek Magazine Klingon/STO Special

The 100-page Issue 24 of the official Star Trek magazine is a "Klingon Special" which has a big focus on the Klingons and the new Star Trek Online Game (featuring Klingons back as the enemy of the Federation). TrekMovie has a first look, with excerpts from an interview with DS9’s J.G. Hertzler (Martok) and also excerpts from a feature on story behind Star Trek Online. We also have covers and some inside previews. Check it all out below.

STAR TREK MAGAZINE ISSUE 24 – Klingon Special
J.G. Hertzler on being Klingon"Star Trek Deep Space Nine" delved deep into the Klingons, and joining Worf on his journey was his friend General Martok, played by J.G. Hertzler. Here are excerpts from the STM interview with the actor:

General Martok is not afraid to express his feelings on Starfleet’s handling of the Dominion threat, and his forthright attitude added to J.G. Hertzler’s challenges when stepping into the role.

“Well, first of all, I didn’t have any depth of knowledge about Klingon culture or behavior, so whether or not I could ‘be’ a Klingon and fill those boots was a question for me,” he says. “However, I’m a former college football linebacker, so I figured I had a shot at it. I don’t know how much you know about football, but you have to play it in a state of controlled frenzy, which is not unlike being a Klingon.

“So I went onto the set and had to walk into this situation where all the regulars were in a scene where Martok has to test their blood for evidence of shapeshifters. He makes them cut their palms and draw blood, which meant that I had to intimidate everybody. As a recurring actor or guest-star coming onto the show, to try to intimidate the likes of Avery Brooks on anything is impossible, but I took a whack at it,” laughs Hertzler.

“I had to risk making these people hate me in order to be effective in the scene, and I think I succeeded. I have to admit that I underestimated their ability to separate actor from character. Nana Visitor [Major Kira] was one of the first people to say how enjoyable it was to have me play Martok. She was extremely supportive and made me feel good about being there. It’s hard to walk into the middle of a well-oiled machine like DS9 and fit in. It takes a little machete and stiletto action, or should I say Klingon bat’leth wielding, to carve out a comfortable niche for yourself. It was hairy for a few minutes, but it turned out okay.

“I had almost four years to work on my character and develop various aspects of Martok. And as the writers got to know me, they began adding new character traits with regard to

The team behind Star Trek Online describe some of the parameters of the new MMORPG…

“There is a metastory to the game,” Star Trek Online‘s Christine Thompson explains. “We needed to figure out what happened with the Romulans, the Klingons, the Cardassians, etc. And once we had all those pieces in place, we needed to figure out where they move from there. There are things you go through in the game tutorial that are relevant later on, when you’ve ranked up to admiral. There are things we’ve set up that run all the way through the game – and beyond.

“Because this is an MMO, the cool thing is, we’re never done developing it. We’re always going to be adding new stuff and new story to it. So I’m already thinking six months out, 12 months out, ‘Okay, what are we going to do next? How will the story move forward? When the players find out, for example, what was really behind the destruction of Romulus, how will that affect everything else?’”

These connections, Thompson confirms, are made over the course of the game: “The first three major areas of the game each have 14 episodes. Those episodes each constitute about 45 minutes to an hour and a half of play, and they’re strung together to tell a larger coherent story. In addition, we have all the patrol content and exploration content, and those are little one-act tasks players can perform, but they’ve given me opportunities to drop in a little more story for the overall game.”

If the structure of STO sounds somewhat like the seasons of an entirely new Star Trek TV series, Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich confirms that isn’t an accident: “All of the content in Star Trek Online, the vision of the content in the game, is to make it feel as though you’re in an episode or a movie. And like those, you’re never in one place for any period of time. You’re in space, you receive a distress call, you beam down to a planet and rescue some scientists, beam up to a space station, collect vital data, get back to your ship in time for a climactic space battle. That is really what we want the content to feel like – players constantly moving back and forth between environments. You’re constantly moving, constantly exploring.”

2-page spread from STO feature in STM #24

Much more in the Star Trek Magazine Klingon SpecialHere are the covers for the new Star Trek magazine, available on newsstands February 9th for $9.99.

Regular cover

Previews exclusive cover (Comic stores only)

The magazine should be arriving on newsstands and comic shops by Feb 9th. You can also pick it up (at a discount) from TFAW.

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somethoughts

go Klingons!

February 4, 2010 4:40 pm

Capt. Roykirk

Why do Klingons only ever loose their left eye? Chang, Marton, the guy in this photo? If you loose your right eye is that dishonerable and they kill you?

February 4, 2010 5:16 pm

Capt. Roykirk

Martok, not Morton

February 4, 2010 5:16 pm

CmdrR

He wrote Marton, not Morton.

But, it’s still Martok, moron.

^kidding

February 4, 2010 5:23 pm

Valar1

jeez a lou why does that mag have to cost 10 freakin bucks?

February 4, 2010 5:30 pm

No Khan

I just never cared for the post TOS Klingons. They became long haired Neandthals in space.

February 4, 2010 6:16 pm

somethoughts

#6

I agree, I also do not like the Viking Klingon look. I prefer the intelligent looking and sounding ones in TOS. The post TOS Klingons has IQ lower than their shoe size and act like idiots, I wish writers would inject more intellect, cunning, and mystery back into them.

Enough with the banging on the chest, singing stupid war songs, rasta looking barbarians in space look. Make the Klingons smarter than the humans with a edge in technology, give them back the honor they deserve.

February 4, 2010 6:22 pm

Imrahil

#4: Awesome. :) Groucho would be proud.

February 4, 2010 6:32 pm

VZX

There are Jem Hadar in the game? Does that mean the Dominion is still a threat? Cool!

February 4, 2010 6:52 pm

Morbius

I agree that intelligent Klingons are cooler. Chang is my favorite.
But I like them on the side of the Federation. They can vent their wrath on our enemies.

If you think about it, there isn’t a comparable alien race that’s quite as well-known in SF.

February 4, 2010 9:02 pm

Chasco

#11 They’re known outside SF too – ever seen ‘Chicken Run’? :-)

February 4, 2010 11:08 pm

OLLEY OLLEY OLLEY

@6

I can recommend The Final Reflection by J M Ford
It shows the Klingons differently from the two dimensional “villains” that both TOS & later Trek portrayed them.

superb book

February 5, 2010 1:48 am

captain_neill

I like both interpretations of the Klingons

I love the Honour that the Klingons have.

They were developed more as a culture in the later shows I felt.

February 5, 2010 3:11 am

Max

”I am Klingon! My heart is of this world, my blood is as yours!”

February 5, 2010 3:25 am

fansince66

I agree with #6 & #7.

Hey # 10, how about the Klingons are on the side of pursuit of their own interests, so sometimes they co-operate with the Fed, & (usually) they oppose the Fed? And we’re never quite sure where they stand? That’d be interesting too.

February 5, 2010 3:51 am

The Gorn Identity

Glad I’m not the only one who thinks the TOS Klingons are much cooler than the ones from the TNG-era.

February 5, 2010 3:55 am

fansince66

Afterall, they have a massive, far-flung empire of conquered planets to administer. They have their own interests to take care & potential Fed opposition is just another day of empire-running.

February 5, 2010 3:56 am

Nick Cook

#6. Actually, No Khan, it’s pretty much general thinking that neandarthals were not the brutal savages people used to think. Some schools of thought suggest they may been far more peaceful than their homo sapien relatives. ;)

February 5, 2010 4:57 am

LCDR Arch

13. Final Reflection. Best Trek book ever! I have read it every year for 10 years. I see something new every time. Mike Ford was an awesome author. RIP.

I just love the faces on the covers of these magazines. They look pretty scary!

February 5, 2010 6:48 am

DS9 Rocks

Does EVERY romulan in STO have the tattoos and shaved head? That makes little sense…

February 5, 2010 8:16 am

SerenityActual

@ #22 I’m not sure how long after ST09 the game takes place, but with the destruction of the homeworld, this could be a cultural thing that many Romulans of that generation have done. It wasn’t explained too well in the movie, but the tattoos are a Romulan way of grieving, the period of which is determined by the tattoo. When the tat fades, the grieving time is over. (From Star Trek: Countdown, if I am recalling correctly)

February 5, 2010 8:30 am

AJ

Let’s not forget Hertzler’s first role in DS9, as Sisko’s Vulcan Captain who gets fried at Wolf 359.

I agree with those who miss the far more ruthless and ‘not’ honorable Klingons of TOS. Hopefully JJ will bring them back.

I am another TOS Klingon fan. Also, why did they turn the backstabbing, plotting Klingons of TOS into honorable warriors and the honor bound, Roman centurion Romulans into sneaky, spying types. WTF?

Anyway, I’m pro-Federation. I’m glad the Klingons are the enemy again in STO. Only good Klingon is a phasered Klingon. ; )

February 5, 2010 12:31 pm

SerenityActual

I liked the original series Klingons myself. I do think Kang and Kor had their own sense of honor, Koloth was a joke though. I wish they had allowed for both the human looking Klingons and the later ones to exist side by side.

February 5, 2010 12:44 pm

TrekDude

@22:

No, there are normal looking Romulans as well.

February 5, 2010 1:16 pm

Captain Rickover

I think the TOS-Klingons were the same type of enemy like the TOS-Romulans. The TNG-Klingons have at least a different non-too-human culture and a non-human look. I like Worf and Martok and some of the other Good-Guy-Klingons more than the Bad-Guy-Ones. The only good Klingon-villains were Kor, Kruge and Chang. Every other Klingon (especially Kras or Koloth) were either cowards, idiots or jokes.

I’m absolutey happy Gene Roddenberry moved away from the TOS-Klingons and I hope deeply JJ, Bob & Alex will not return to them.

February 5, 2010 2:15 pm

somethoughts

#29

My favorite Klingon of all time is Christopher Plummer as General Chang.

A truly intelligent, wise, sneaky Klingon who can speak and not sound like a Neanderthal. Make the Klingons more like TNG Cardassians.

February 5, 2010 2:35 pm

Desstruxion

A Klingon based series would be interesting. With new ships and tech. Maybe in the new Abramsverse.

February 5, 2010 4:56 pm

somethoughts

#32

Oh yes, first film is the coming together of the USS Enterprise family/crew, the sequel should be the coming together/reinvention of the Klingons and how they wtfpwnbbq Starfleet and the Federation. I want to see a Klingon warrior dual wield this;

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